In fact, it is hydrogen sulfide, rather than killer asteroids or some other interstellar death-bringer, that has possibly become the go-to kill-shot of most mass extinctions in Earth's history.

LR: Peak oil is here in the very near future. Many of the big oil producing regions have already passed peaks. Don’t forget, the United States was the world’s largest oil producer for a period, but production has fallen way down. Experts who follow this industry are very clear that the peak is not too far away—at most a dozen years, but more likely much sooner. The pace of new discoveries has fallen way off over recent years. It takes an enormous amount of new drilling to simply replace depletion. Production from existing wells declines steadily. Production won’t drop off suddenly, but it will certainly stop rising. Demand is continuing to rise and we are so complacent about oil production continuing to rise.

Anti-poverty campaigners at the World Development Movement (WDM) also said the controversial plan could be responsible for up to 60,000 more people suffering from drought in Africa.

The Solar Impulse HB-SIA is designed to fly both day and night without the need for fuel and without producing any pollution. The plane, which is scheduled to make its first flight later this year, was built to stay airborne for several days operating just on the power emitted by the sun and captured by its solar panels. The goal and challenge of the craft is to show the viability of renewable energy.

The battery’s greatest strength is its price competitiveness against the more widely used crystalline silicon solar cell. The manufacturing cost for thin-film solar cells is half that for crystalline silicon cells.

With carefully targeted subsidies and regulations, Britain could build 29 gigawatts of capacity compared to a global total of 66 gigawatts by 2020, giving it 45 percent of the offshore power market, said the Carbon Trust. By comparison, Germany would have 12 gigawatts by 2020, the group said.

The Energy Report caught up with newsletter writer and analyst Lawrence Roulston, who recently launched the GreenTech Opportunities newsletter. In this exclusive interview with The Energy Report, Roulston gives us his thoughts on developments that are happening in the alternative energy field, and ideas for profiting in a changing world.

Despite a push from the governor and an increase in the number of so-called flexible-fuel vehicles on the road — which can run on either gasoline or a mostly ethanol blend — sales of E85 have dipped in recent months, beyond the normal decline in winter months.

If he and others like him around the country are successful, algae-based biofuel could one day power one of the world's biggest gas guzzlers: the U.S. military.

Shell confirmed the closure of its oil plants in the region following a spike in attacks on the company's facilities and employees, Nigerian media reported.

The accord was signed by Nigerian Petroleum Minister Rilwanu Lukman, Niger’s Energy Minister Mohammed Abdullahi and his Algerian counterpart Chakib Khelil in the Nigerian capital, Abuja, today. The project will cost an estimated $10 billion, he said at the signing ceremony.

Two studies project that the legislation would cut oil use in the future, but not enough to make much of a dent in dependence on oil from unstable or unfriendly foreign suppliers. Some experts say that other steps will be needed to cut U.S. oil use significantly.

Approximately 37.1 million Americans will travel 50 miles or more away from home during the holiday weekend, typically the busiest time for auto travel in the United States, the world's largest energy consumer, down from 37.8 million last year.

In a statement posted on its website, the ministry said collecting carbon duties from foreign products would enable developed countries to "protect trade in the name of protecting the environment."